LaCie has been working with Thunderbolt for the past year,
and showcased a storage prototype with 700MB/sec transfer speeds (all while
daisy-chained between a computer and monitor) at IDF 2010. Now, the production
Little Big Disk is ready to go and supports two channels with 10Gb/sec of data
flowing both ways per channel (all within a single cable).

"Thunderbolt technology is a breakthrough in I/O
technology and represents the future of mobile computing. Soon you will be able
to carry workstation-class power and functionality in compact devices,"
said Philippe Spruch, Chairman and General Manager, LaCie. "LaCie is
excited to be one of the first to deliver Thunderbolt technology with the LaCie
Little Big Disk."

The Little Big Disk weighs in a svelte 1.5 pounds and comes
equipped with two 250GB Intel 510 Series solid state drives (which haven't even
been officially announced yet).

According
to VR Zone, the Intel 510 Series
SSDs have maximum read speeds of 470MB/sec and maximum writes of 315MB/sec.
Interestingly, the SSDs are still built in 34nm NAND flash technology. The drives
will be available in 120GB ($280) and 250GB ($580) capacities when they are
officially launched on March 1.

As for LaCie's Little Big Disk, it will be available later
this summer at an undisclosed price.

"Paying an extra $500 for a computer in this environment -- same piece of hardware -- paying $500 more to get a logo on it? I think that's a more challenging proposition for the average person than it used to be." -- Steve Ballmer